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To make sure everyone’s conkering from the same hymn sheet this year, we’ve found the official rules of conkers as practiced in the World Championships each year.

Hundreds of people from around the world gather at Ashton Conker Club in Northamptonshire in order to be crowned King and Queen of the Conkers - and these are the rules those potential champs play by. It helps is a referee is present to ensure these rules are observed at all times.

Games of conkers have been played for years - but have you been playing by the official rules?

1. Each player must use a new conker at the start of each game (ideally, a new lace as well). Players cannot re-use conkers from earlier games.

2. The game begins with the toss of a coin. The winner of the toss chooses to strike or receive.

3. A distance of no less than eight inches or 20cm of lace must be between a player’s knuckle and their conker.

4. Each player takes three strikes at the opponent’s conker before play switched to their opponent. The opponent then takes three strikes and turns alternate in this way until the end of the game.

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9. Any nut that is knocked from the lace but not smashed may be re-threaded and the game may be continued.

10. Any player causing a knotting of the laces (a snag) will be noted. Three snags will lead to a disqualification.

11. If a game lasts for more than five minutes then play is halted. Each player is allowed nine further strikes at their opponent’s nut, again alternating after every three strikes. If neither conker has been smashed at the end of the nine strikes then the player who strikes the nut the most times during this period is judged the winner.

Have you got all that? Now nobody has any reason to bring in their own ‘unofficial’ rules!